West Seattle Herald: “Many oppose skateboards at Myrtle Reservoir Park”

el_boy_handup.jpgReally Tim? “Many”?

The West Seattle Herald published an article in today’s edition with a questionable headline, one that might lead you to believe that a whole lot of people are opposed to the idea of a reasonably-sized skatepark in the new Myrtle Reservoir Park. However, this comment thread on the West Seattle Blog, and my own experience at that very meeting, suggests otherwise.

Sure… not everyone posts on internet blogs, but not everyone goes to the public meetings either. Especially absent are the primary users of skateparks, otherwise known as teenagers, who have things like homework and childhoods to attend to. God forbid they actually show up to a meeting to hear adults say disparaging things about them, in their presence, as if they were houseplants.

Let’s just hope that this isn’t just a numbers game based on how many people write emails or show up at meetings, and that it’s a conscious decision by Seattle Parks to allocate safe public facilities to user groups that have proven a need via sanctioned and supported public process.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *